Florida Statute 316.221 | Lawyer Caselaw & Research

The 2024 Florida Statutes

Title XXIII
MOTOR VEHICLES

Chapter 316
STATE UNIFORM TRAFFIC CONTROL

View Entire Chapter

F.S. 316.221

316.221 Taillamps.—

(1) Every motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, and pole trailer, and any other vehicle which is being drawn at the end of a combination of vehicles, shall be equipped with at least two taillamps mounted on the rear, which, when lighted as required in s. 316.217, shall emit a red light plainly visible from a distance of 1,000 feet to the rear, except that passenger cars and pickup trucks manufactured or assembled prior to January 1, 1972, which were originally equipped with only one taillamp shall have at least one taillamp. On a combination of vehicles, only the taillamps on the rearmost vehicle need actually be seen from the distance specified. On vehicles equipped with more than one taillamp, the lamps shall be mounted on the same level and as widely spaced laterally as practicable. An object, material, or covering that alters the taillamp’s visibility from 1,000 feet may not be placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied over a taillamp.

(2) Either a taillamp or a separate lamp shall be so constructed and placed as to illuminate with a white light the rear registration plate and render it clearly legible from a distance of 50 feet to the rear. Any taillamp or taillamps, together with any separate lamp or lamps for illuminating the rear registration plate, shall be so wired as to be lighted whenever the headlamps or auxiliary driving lamps are lighted. Dump trucks and vehicles having dump bodies are exempt from the requirements of this subsection.

(3) A violation of this section is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a nonmoving violation as provided in chapter 318.

History.—s. 1, ch. 71-135; s. 1, ch. 79-97; s. 173, ch. 99-248; s. 10, ch. 2000-313; s. 17, ch. 2006-290.

F.S. 316.221 on Google Scholar

F.S. 316.221 on Casetext

Amendments to 316.221

Arrestable Offenses / Crimes under Fla. Stat. 316.221

Level: Degree
Misdemeanor/Felony: First/Second/Third

Current data shows no reason an arrest or criminal charge should have occurred directly under Florida Statute 316.221.

Civil Citations / Citable Offenses under S316.221

R or S next to points is Mandatory Revocation or Suspension

S316.221 TAILLIGHTS - No/improper - 2 red lights required except on vehicles made prior to 01/72 with 1 light - Points on Drivers License: 0

S316.221 REGISTRATION PLATE (TAG) LIGHT - White light illumination from a distance of 50' to the rear required - Points on Drivers License: 0

S316.221 (1) Tail Lights None/improper - Points on Drivers License: 0

S316.221 (2) No Tag Light (Dump trucks and dump bodies are exempt - Points on Drivers License: 0

Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Cases Citing Statute 316.221

Total Results: 20

Classy Cycles, Inc. v. Bay County

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 2016-09-28T00:00:00-07:00

Citation: 201 So. 3d 779, 2016 Fla. App. LEXIS 14507

Snippet: lamps are required), § 316.220 (headlamps), § 316.221 (tail-lamps), § 316.222 (stop lamps and turn signals

KS v. State

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 2012-04-18T00:53:00-07:00

Citation: 85 So. 3d 566

Snippet: Webb, 398 So.2d 820, 824 (Fla.1981). [2] Section 316.221 governs taillamps in motor vehicles and provides…infraction, punishable as a nonmoving violation.... § 316.221(2)-(3), Fla. Stat. (2010). 4D11-345

K.S. v. State

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 2012-04-18T00:00:00-07:00

Citation: 85 So. 3d 566, 2012 WL 1317950, 2012 Fla. App. LEXIS 6050

Snippet: Webb, 398 So.2d 820, 824 (Fla.1981). . Section 316.221 governs taillamps in motor vehicles and provides…infraction, punishable as a non-moving violation.... § 316.221(2)-(3), Fla. Stat. (2010). No. 4D11-345

Davison v. State

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 2009-05-19T00:00:00-07:00

Citation: 15 So. 3d 34, 2009 Fla. App. LEXIS 5827, 2009 WL 1378125

Snippet: officer was mistaken in his belief that section 316.221(2), Florida Statutes (2007), required the tag to…tag was clearly legible from 50 feet, as section 316.221, Florida Statutes (2007), requires, the officer…having one light out was a violation of section 316.221(2), Florida Statutes. The trial court found that…was not illuminated "at all." Section 316.221(2), Florida Statutes, requires that "either…though the officer mistakenly believed that section 316.221(2), Florida Statutes (2007), required Davison&#

Paul v. State

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 2008-09-19T00:53:00-07:00

Citation: 991 So. 2d 404

Snippet: posed a safety hazard. Id. Similarly, section 316.221(1), Florida Statutes (2002), does not require taillamps

Langello v. State

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 2007-12-18T23:53:00-08:00

Citation: 970 So. 2d 491

Snippet: believed this violated section 316.221(2), Florida Statutes (2004). Section 316.221(2) requires vehicles to … that even if Langello did not violate section 316.221(2), the stop was proper under section 316.610(1

State v. Lee

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 2007-05-11T00:53:00-07:00

Citation: 957 So. 2d 76

Snippet: operating justified the traffic stop under section 316.221(2), and whether or not the deputy further inspected…THOMPSON and MONACO, JJ., concur. NOTES [1] Section 316.221, Florida Statutes (2005) provides: (2) Either

State v. Schuck

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 2005-09-28T00:53:00-07:00

Citation: 913 So. 2d 69

Snippet: suspicion that it was in violation of section 316.221(1)[3] regarding taillamps, which provides, in pertinent…the vehicle was not in compliance with section 316.221(1) and could be stopped for inspection pursuant…violation was a noncriminal traffic infraction. See § 316.221(1). Therefore, we reverse *72 the trial court'…598, 605 (Fla.2001). [3] A violation of section 316.221 is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable…nonmoving violation as provided in chapter 318. See § 316.221(3), Fla. Stat. [4] Review to the Florida Supreme

Hilton v. State

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 2005-02-15T23:53:00-08:00

Citation: 901 So. 2d 155

Snippet: tail-light. As the supreme court noted, section *163 316.221(1) specified the requirements for taillights: Every…clearly legible for 50 feet, as required by section 316.221(2). Snead, 707 So.2d at 770, involved an inoperable…inoperable taillight in violation of section 316.221, which requires every vehicle to have two taillights

Frierson v. State

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 2003-08-06T00:53:00-07:00

Citation: 851 So. 2d 293

Snippet: adjustment as required in this chapter." Section 316.221(1), Florida Statutes (2000) requires a motor vehicle

Cole v. State

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 2003-02-11T23:53:00-08:00

Citation: 838 So. 2d 1205

Snippet: driving at night with an inoperable tag light); § 316.221(2), Fla. Stat. (1999). Cole also challenges the

Michel v. State

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 2000-01-06T23:53:00-08:00

Citation: 752 So. 2d 6

Snippet: prohibiting the obstruction of the highway, ss. 316.221, 316.222 and 316.2045, Fla. Stat. (1993), but defendants

Tackett v. State

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 1999-11-19T00:00:00-08:00

Citation: 745 So. 2d 477, 1999 Fla. App. LEXIS 15431, 1999 WL 1043952

Snippet: illuminate the license plate as required by section 316.221(2) of the Florida Statutes (1997), and as a result

State v. Parrish

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 1999-04-16T00:53:00-07:00

Citation: 731 So. 2d 101

Snippet: same manner as a regular license plate. See §§ 316.221(2), 316.605(1), Fla. Stat. (1995). . . . Section

Holmes v. State

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 1998-04-15T00:53:00-07:00

Citation: 710 So. 2d 651

Snippet: same manner as a regular license plate. See §§ 316.221(2), 316.605(1), Fla. Stat. (1995).[1] The argument

Indialantic Police Dept. v. Zimmerman

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 1996-07-26T00:53:00-07:00

Citation: 677 So. 2d 1307

Snippet: 540 So.2d 210 (Fla. 4th DCA 1989); §§ 316.217, 316.221, Fla. Stat. (1993); Whren and Brown v. United States

Williams v. State

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 1994-08-03T00:53:00-07:00

Citation: 640 So. 2d 1206

Snippet: v. State, 588 So.2d 1014 (Fla. 2d DCA 1991); § 316.221, Fla. Stat. (1993). Second, we conclude that the

Doctor v. State

Court: Fla. | Date Filed: 1992-03-11T23:53:00-08:00

Citation: 596 So. 2d 442

Snippet: 316.220, Fla. Stat. (1987) (headlamps); id. § 316.221 (taillamps); id. § 316.222 (stop lamps and turn…arguably applicable in the present case is section 316.221(1), which specifies the requirements for a vehicle…requirements for taillights as prescribed by section 316.221. Thus, a reasonable officer would have known that

Joseph v. State

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 1991-10-11T00:53:00-07:00

Citation: 588 So. 2d 1014

Snippet: first issue, the stop was not pretextual. Section 316.221, Florida Statutes (1987), requires that a motor

Lemon v. State

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 1991-05-22T00:53:00-07:00

Citation: 580 So. 2d 292

Snippet: additional invalid purpose. Id. at 1097. Section 316.221, Florida Statutes (1987), requires a motor vehicle